In a call for industry wide reform, the company is explicitly arguing that large-scale AI compute should not quietly shift costs to households through regulated electricity prices, particularly in regions where new data center demand is already tightening capacity and accelerating grid upgrades.

Regions are now asking for, and getting, commitments that go far beyond traditional incentives: shared compute resources for universities and startups, R&D partnerships aligned with regional strengths, workforce development programs, community equity participation in real estate deals, and energy innovation testbeds.

Japan is expected to invest $33 billion in the project, which will be led by SoftBank Group Corp. subsidiary SB Energy, according to a US Commerce Department fact sheet outlining the plan. The site near Portsmouth, Ohio, will likely have capacity of 9.2 gigawatts, a White House official said.

AEP said it now has 56 gigawatts in agreements to supply power to data centers, a doubling since October, with an additional 180 gigawatts requested by data centers.

While parts of the proposal will need regulatory approval, analysts said the "bring-your-own-generation" element could particularly boost deals between data-center owners and power producers.

Dominion Energy utility lands $4.8-billion, high-voltage, direct-current underground project in Virginia as NextEra Energy-Exelon is awarded a $1.7-billion project in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro knows how to make data center-friendly policies. He’s still trying to make them good politics.